China

Press freedom

Street politics

RARELY since the heady days of the Tiananmen Square unrest of 1989 have people in China gathered so openly, and so free of police interference, in support of wide-ranging political freedoms as they have in the past two days in the southern city of Guangzhou. The pretext for the gatherings has been the watering-down of a feisty New Year’s message that a local newspaper, Southern Weekend, was preparing to run in its latest edition. It would have urged the Communist Party to uphold the Chinese constitution and the freedoms it purportedly guarantees. Chinese journalists have accused censors of modifying the message to make it more like praise of the party. Some have called on the propaganda chief of Guangdong province, of which Guangzhou is the capital, to step down.

The gatherings outside Southern Weekend’s office have been relatively small: a few hundred people on Monday, January 7th, and at most about a hundred on Tuesday. But the rhetoric of the speakers who took turns to address the crowd appears to have grown bolder. Several called for freedom of the press and freedom of speech—as well as free elections—to shouts of approval from those who had gathered around on the pavement in front of the building. Remarkably, around 20 police deployed at the scene made no effort to stop the speakers or remove slogans expressing similar sentiments, held aloft by a few of the participants. One large banner held up by two men said simply: Free China. At one point someone was heard to shout: “Down with the Communist Party. The Communist Party must step down!”

The police appeared unruffled. Some in the crowd said they had heard of a couple of activists being detained or prevented from joining the gatherings. But compared with the authorities’ rapid and stern response to a few attempted gatherings early in 2011 in support of the Arab uprisings, the relatively hands-off approach over the past couple of days has been striking. In the early evening, the police moved the crowd away from the building, citing a need to keep the pavement clear during the rush-hour. No one appeared to resist them, and most of the participants dispersed. Some said there would likely be more gatherings in the days ahead. This seems likely. News of the “Southern Weekend incident” has been circulating widely on the internet in China, despite the authorities’ efforts to curb online discussion of it. Many users of social media have expressed support for the journalists’ campaign against interference by the censors.

Some, however, have been denouncing the newspaper. Among the crowd outside the Southern Weekend offices on Tuesday was a small group of people who held up pictures of Mao Zedong and placards denouncing the newspaper as traitorous. When other people occasionally stepped forward to lay flowers at the entrance, in a gesture of support for the newspaper, the Maoists yelled “traitors” at them. Southern Weekend has long been a bête noire of China’s extreme leftists, who regard the newspaper as a pro-Western mouthpiece for “bourgeois liberalisation”. Fierce debates erupted between small groups of the newspaper’s supporters and the Maoists. A couple of scuffles broke out, but they were broken up by others in the crowd and by the police. Some people chanted “50 cents, 50 cents (五毛, 五毛)” and waved banknotes of that denomination at the Maoists: a reference to the widespread belief in China that the party employs people who it pays 50 cents (ie, half a yuan) in Chinese currency ($0.08) for each internet posting in favour of the party line.

Some of the participants expressed surprise at how relaxed the gatherings have been. It is possible that the authorities have yet to decide how handle them, or that they are divided over how to do so. Some officials might be reluctant to respond harshly, given that Xi Jinping chose Guangdong for his first trip outside the capital, after his appointment as party chief in November. The official media have made clear that the aim of Mr Xi’s tour in early December was to highlight his commitment to reform; Guangdong having been a pioneer of market-oriented changes in the 1980s. Few, however, expect the authorities to tolerate the kind of dissent expressed so openly in Guangzhou this week for very long.

It is interesting to read all the comments coming from ztoa789. For some reason he feels he has to defend his country against any and all comments.

Mr Ztoah789's comment above captures his lack of knowledge perfectly. He simply can't comprehend that people in Europe or the US don't have a single authoritarian media. He doesn't realize that Fox News and MSNBC are diametrically opposed on just about every issue out there. There is no single "right" viewpoint in our media except the drive to make money.

Mr Ztoa789's level of obsession wouldn't be so bad if he had some interesting insights. But someone who is constantly in attack mode is incapable of acknowledging another person's point of view. And if most people in a country can't hear a new point of view, they won't grow.

I don't think that most Chinese are narrow minded like our friend Ztoa. I have had plenty of Chinese friends over the years and most are quite thoughtful. So my guess is that Mr. Ztoa789 is either an extreme nationalist or a paid shill. But in any case, he's a great example of the wackos and trolls (from every country) that are out there.

The mainstream media in the western democratic and free world like in the US and countries in Europe often keep pace with their government, especially when the country is in critical point or in war. Take the US media like New York Times, Washington Post and the Time Magazine, the news coverage published on the Gulf war, war in Iraq and Afghanistan was all government-oriented, which suggests that there is no absolutely free media at all in any country ruled by law.

To make a long story short, the complexity of Southern Weekly incident could be reduced to one statement that a few editors of the magazine and the external activities, including Chen Guangcheng, who is now residing in the US are willing to challenge the current system under the disguise of putting constitution into practice. What they want is altercation directly with government instead of the media reform to be carried out in line with the current situation in China.

What Chinese people have in their dreams is a better tomorrow to be fulfilled through developing the economy rather than uncertainty in the country’s future caused by any radical changes. Media reform in China is of vital importance of course, but any reform should be in accordance with the political reform progress, which takes much more painstaking efforts than economic reform in a country like China.

Some people who are on behalf of certain powers are excited with anything extreme occurring in the mainland, and they are expecting something ‘unpredicted’ to take place for them to incite local residents to destabilize the urbanization and modernization drive in mainland China. Without a strong and stable China in the world, there would be no nation to compete with and offset the only superpower on this planet.

Ztoa789, it's now clear to me that you have no idea of what you are talking about regarding the level of free press or speech in any other country. So let me give you a few actual facts regarding this death penalty issue you've just brought up:
* Many states in the US have the death penalty, many other states do not. Look it up on Google.
* California just voted in Nov. on whether to continue to have the death penalty. And I personally heard several programs and read columns supporting both points of view. (The voters decided to keep the death penalty in the state.)
* Many of the most influential newspapers, The New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times are against the death penalty and say so often. Fox News and other conservative news outlets are for it. These papers are no forced by anyone to change their opinions.
So your contention that the US media don't talk about this issue is flat out WRONG. The fact is that different parts of our country have vastly different opinions on the issue and make their opinions knows in the media and by voting for leaders who are for or against the issue.
If you knew anything at all about the US you wouldn't be so sure of yourself -- and so embarrassingly wrong. If you want to comment on a subject, get your facts straight. It's no fun to look like a fool and it hurts the cause you believe in so strongly.

Grandpa Li my next door neighbor, 73, a retiree living on pension told me this morning that Chinese government decided to increase pension for the 9th year consecutively for all enterprises’ retirees. And he asked me if there is any country like China to do the same for pensioners in the world.

One of my comments to TE was removed again, which explains what ‘freedom of speech’ is.

I truly support freedom of the press and think it is incredibly important for the development of a society. China is no exception. However, a flood-gate approach in China might be too early. The fact is that a majority of the nation is less educated and given a sudden influx of negative information, might make wrong decisions. I'm not saying Chinese people are less smart, but overall, especially the older generation, have received less education. The point is the level of censorship should be slowly lowered and then completely eliminated in the next 10 years or so. Hopefully by then, a more open economy and media will have prepared the 'lao bai xing' for the real story and how it affects them.

In my opinion,the people who alway chant “50 cents, 50 cents (五毛, 五毛)” have nothing differnt with some Maoists.

If you want to use social discontents to denigrate anythings good or bad in China without any reason,you will become a high-class cheater which Southern Weekend is now,unlike it was in the past.The western and India or other democratic countries are so perfect and human's heaven which Southern Weekend's description and preach hysterically. Southern Weekend alway trys to make us believe when you put democratic hormone into cow dung,every pile of cow dungs in India and any other countries smell wonderful and become delicious foods.Why China's cow dung smell so bad,the reason is very simple that China is a dictatorial country,you can not find anything good in a dictatorial country including delicious cow dung.

Southern Weekend alway wastes its time to prove that democratic corruption is better and greater than dictatorial corruption,alway waste its time to prove that India and any other foreign countries are greater and have more sunshine than China in any fields.What the hell they want to do?

Right,some are ture,but not all.ｔhe poor in democratic slums such as in India are really enjoying democratic and woderful life?Dictatorship's high-speed railway isn't really a high-speed railway? All is rubbish? ironically,many praises come from foreign medias in many democratic countries.

Southern Weekend also will repeat and repeat Churchill's dictum all day and all night: "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." but it forgets tell us that Churchill isn't the God,Karl Marx also isn't.

Certainly I also dislikes China government,but I am rational and have an objective criteria.Southern Weekend(南方周末) just as other media in China such as People's Daily(人民日报) want to cheate the public in their own sinister political motivations，one is using so-called press freedom right,the other is abusing autocratic power.

More and more people will give up buying those papers such as Southern Weekend because more and more people are traveling around the world.

Ztoa, you don't seem to have heard anything I said. So I will try one final time.

"If rich own media can refuse..." The corporate media doesn't refuse to cover the death penalty or any other subject if it will make them money. I just told you that both sides of the issue get lots of coverage.

"...why can't state media?" There is no "state" media in the sense you mean in the US. The US Govt. owns no newspapers or TV stations. How can you not know this???

"... pope's opinion on the...." Yes the Pope's condemnation of Pussy Riot was covered in the US. Putin's statements were well covered. The statements by Pussy Riot were well covered. Go to Google's US site (if you are allowed to) and do a search on "Pussy Riot" and "Pope" and you will see hundreds of results.

"...how serious the corruption is in usa" There are always officials and corporations that get into trouble for this issue and they get lots of coverage. But it's such an everyday event, I generally don't waste my time.

"Has any major media blame ... on their system" There have been THOUSANDS of articles on the recent financial collapse and all the complex issues that caused the problems. There have been many TV shows, books, movies. If you know anything at all about the US media you wouldn't ask that question.

"You have no opinions of yourself." I'm actually considered one of the more opinionated folks out there according to my wife and friends. But I'm not someone who buys into the opinion of any one party or any politician. I try to do my own research and find solutions that get beyond the knee-jerk POVs of so many of the trolls that post to web sites.

I have to admit, I've enjoyed peeking into your mind, Mr Ztoa789. You are an interesting (and sad) character. But I have to get back to work. So all the best.
Tim

No offense- but every authoritarian government or dictatorship is under tremendous pressure from the "governed." Feeling pressure is no excuse to suppress fundamental human rights.
Economic achievement or goal is also no excuse for the government to suppress fundamental human rights.
There is nothing new about your rationale- it was used in the Third Reich.

If I controlled the media, your voice would still be heard- but I would not hesitate to point out your fallacies. Like now.

You, on the other hand, don't know anything about me. However, your interests and point of view are nearly identical to CCP- and consistently so.

Now, you are exercising and enjoying rights that are not held by your countrymen- yet you consistently insist that they are not entitled to those rights. And you think the Chinese people who want the same right you enjoy now are parasites?

Anyone who is familiar with the Chinese culture is familiar with the three essential elements to cope with what is or will happening around. They are, namely, timing, geographic location and supports from people. Reform in China now is of vital importance, be it economic or political one. The most significant approach to reform on both sides of economy and politics is supports from the majority people who are hoping a stable and prosperous China rather than a country stirred by Arab Spring featuring with street riots.

You better be careful about bringing up this "aboriginal issue" in Canada. Many First Nations in B.C. oppose the Northern Gateway pipeline which will ship dirty tar-sands to China and many Canadians are not happy about the CNOOC takeover of Nexen.
Just saying!

Who give the power(Censorship,brainwash) to editors or media's bosses to decide that what is wrong and what is right? refuse or accept some articles which can been published in media? the GOD?

Not only the journalists,editors or the meida's bosses have the right and freedom to speak or publish somethings in media.In the name of Press freedom,a group of people(journalists,editors or the meida's bosses) rob and kidnap public freedom and right in media is also another dictatorship.

It is very obvious that TE also has a censorship.Who are the censors in TE? Who can give a examinational criterion(censorship)to refuse or accept some articles which can been published in TE?You or me or editors or the boss of TE? Certainly I am sure,if the boss of TE tell the editors,I don't want to publish some people's,the editors are very difficult to refuse their boss.

I has never seen an article written by a Maoist, Why? who can explain to me? although I don't support some Maoists' viewpoints.

Everybody including Maoists have the right to speak and publish their articles in media.The question is that who is the boss of media and who is controling the media?

It will be interesting to see what plays out in China over the next 5 years. I believe the country has reached a point where it must either continue to expand freedom, and deal with the social disharmony the party is so fearful of, or try to turn back the clock on speech and press freedom. I assume the party's natural instinct will be to try to slow things down. But there's no such thing as being a little pregnant. Forgive the analogy, but once you are you either have the kid or abort it.

Under Mao, except for a few elites who kept their privilege well hidden, pretty much everyone was poor. In such a situation, the party simply blames the outside world for the country's poor state thus directing people's anger outside the country. And this works when you ensure the only view of the outside is what the party allows. It also helps that the government can afford not to care what the outside world thinks of it as is the case when the totalitarian nation doesn't deal much with democratic nations.

But in looking for and achieving economic growth, China had to accept that there would be some who were very rich and some who were very poor. So it can't divert anger which might arise from this by blaming other nations, especially when the very rich include the top party officials. Also, by engaging economically, the party is forced to deal with a level of outside information which provides an alternative view to the party line. Yes, the party can control some information flow, but not all. And, the party now has to be concerned with how the world looks at it - could the party today really get away with out consequences if it murdered several hundred peaceful protesters as it did 20 years ago in Tianamen?

So the party has to decide - abort or move forward. Standing still is not an option.